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He has been living in Sydney since being granted bail in November, and his case is expected to return to court in April

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2023Danushka Gunathilaka’s bail conditions were relaxed by a Sydney magistrate on Thursday, now allowing him to use the WhatsApp messaging service and go out at night.He has been living in Sydney since being granted bail in November, but was not allowed to access social media unless in the company of his legal team, and also had to adhere to a night-time curfew.Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson did prohibit him from using WhatsApp “for the purposes of facilitating or managing dating,” however. Gunathilaka is facing four charges of sexual intercourse without consent, after a woman he met off the dating app Tinder, accused him of choking her without consent, and stealthing, among other offences. He had subsequently been arrested at the team hotel on November 6 while the T20 World Cup event was ongoing in Australia. Gunathilaka has not yet entered a plea in these proceedings.Related

• Gunathilaka charged for alleged sexual assault, arrested in Sydney

• Police facts sheet: Gunathilaka's alleged victim was 'choked repeatedly without consent'

• Gunathilaka granted bail in case of alleged sexual assault

In this most recent hearing, crown prosecutor George Rixon argued the night-time curfew was needed to mitigate the risk of offending based on the alleged facts of the complainant’s statement, specifically, Gunathilaka’s “aggressive sexual behaviour” against her.But magistrate Atkinson said she was “not satisfied today that it is necessary to keep the curfew in place”, and that “there’s nothing unique about [the alleged offences] that it would have occurred at night and couldn’t occur during the day”.Though acknowledging that Gunathilaka had been fully compliant with the bail conditions thus far, the magistrate did warn that Gunathilaka would spend many months in custody waiting for a trial or sentencing if he breached bail. His case is expected to return to court in April.Gunathilaka had travelled to Australia as part of the team’s T20 World Cup squad, before being ruled out with a hamstring complaint early in the tournament. He had remained with the injury-hit squad as a backup, with his hamstring – at the time – expected to heal quickly.Sri Lanka Cricket has footed his legal bill but may expect to recover them from Gunathilaka.

Celtic were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at Parkhead in the Champions League on Wednesday night after they failed to land a winner against Club Brugge.

The Hoops pushed for a second goal in the final stages of the clash in Glasgow but were unable to create many high-quality openings to find the back of the net.

They had to come from behind in the match, though, after a horror own goal from centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers, before Daizen Maeda struck level in the second half.

It was a moment to forget for the USA international, as he handed the Belgian side the lead, but the rest of his performance was relatively impressive.

Cameron Carter-Vickers' performance against Club Brugge

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender will not want to see any more replays of his error, but we are going to provide you with one here, as he lost track of where his goalkeeper was and found the bottom corner of his own net.

It was a moment of madness from Carter-Vickers, who panicked under pressure. The way he responded to that mistake, however, was very admirable.

The 26-year-old brute ended the match with six out of seven aerial duels won and two out of three ground duels won, with two tackles and one interception made to cut out Club Brugge attacks.

He also completed a staggering 139 passes and had 160 touches of the ball, with a 94% pass success rate, and this shows that the English-born ace was largely reliable in possession, aside from that one slip-up for the own goal.

Despite his huge error, Carter-Vickers was not the worst performer on the pitch for the Scottish giants, as there was a player who Brendan Rodgers must now consider dropping from the XI.

Why Kyogo Furuhashi must be dropped

Kyogo Furuhashi is the player in question. The Japan international struggled throughout the game and was unable to offer an outlet to the team or quality in front of goal.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

In 76 minutes on the pitch, the experienced marksman mustered up just three completed passes, 136 fewer than Carter-Vickers, and only had nine touches of the ball in total.

The one ‘big chance’ that did fall his way was missed by the former Vissel Kobe star, whose finishing let him down in the vital moment, whilst Adam Idah came on and showed Celtic what they had been missing.

As you can see in the table above, Idah completed more passes, competed in more duels, won more duels, and won more fouls in 14 minutes than Kyogo did in 76.

His presence in the centre-forward position gave Celtic a target to hit and it helped them to pin Club Brugge back for the final ten minutes or so, albeit the team ultimately failed to make the most of that dominance.

Celtic sold "powerful" flop for just £1.4m, now he's on par with Adam Idah

The former Celtic centre-forward has thrived since his move away from Parkhead.

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By
Dan Emery

Nov 26, 2024

Rodgers must, now, ruthlessly ditch Kyogo from the starting XI and bring Idah, who scored twice off the bench against Hearts in the last Premiership match, into the team.

The twin pillars of a victory that England attempted to shake to its very foundations were Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, two players who were not as prolific as expected at the World Cup

Alan Gardner at Kia Oval12-Jun-2015At the end of the New Zealand innings, as Mitchell Santner sliced a thick edge down to third man for a single, an ironic cheer went up around the ground. New Zealand had finished on 398 for 5, narrowly failing to emulate England’s achievement in the first ODI of passing 400. A small victory but one plenty of Englishman – a few sweat-stained bowlers among them – were willing to take at the time.England had promised a brave new world of one-day cricket and delivered it in style at Edgbaston. Three days later, the Big Dipper went careening on, to the extent that England were still in contention to pull off the second-biggest run chase in history of ODIs going into the last few rain-affected overs.In some senses, the result did not matter. New Zealand had promised to roll out the artillery and The Oval responded with generous applause; that they were pushed so close only enhanced the sensations on a night that must rank as one of the giddiest in England’s one-day history (and coming so soon after the other one). Even a rain delay as the climax approached could not wash away the good vibes.New Zealand could already take some of the credit for inspiring their once-staid opponents, though they prefer to accept victories along with the plaudits. This New Zealand team have been surfing the crest of a zeitgeist for some time, endearing themselves wherever they go – on the trains into Vauxhall, people could be heard marvelling at the unfettered, unaffected style of play that Brendon McCullum’s team routinely go in for.McCullum might have tried to be too clever by inserting England in the first match but he fell back on a trusted tactic after winning the toss here: if in doubt, pile ’em up. The charge from McCullum, with 39 from 22 balls, beat out a tattoo of intent, while Martin Guptill mixed caution with scything strokeplay in reaching a half-century that was sedate – just under a run a ball – in comparison to the rest of the match.The twin pillars of a victory that England attempted to shake to its very foundations were provided by the next men in, however. Kane Williamson, with his first 50-plus ODI score since the opening match of the World Cup, and Ross Taylor, who had led New Zealand’s forlorn effort at Edgbaston, gave a display of boiler room efficiency that is a key component for their team’s success. Yes, there was even room for efficiency among 763 runs.”I didn’t think anyone went nuts, no one played an amazing innings like Eoin Morgan but it was still good enough to get us to close on 400,” Taylor said. “That just shows you what partnerships can do to a team, in building momentum.”The two openers, McCullum and Guptill, were New Zealand’s leading run-scorers at the World Cup and such was the destruction they regularly wrought, the relative lack of returns of Nos. 3 and 4 was no impediment to their reaching the final. But the sight of their contrasting styles dovetailing smoothly again would have been another reason for McCullum to crack a flinty grin on the team balcony.Williamson has already notched a century on tour, in the Lord’s Test, and made a significant contribution to New Zealand’s World Cup campaign with the nerveless six he crashed off Pat Cummins to see off Australia in Auckland. This innings, full of deft touches, whipcrack pulls and lofted drives, was a throwback to his ODI form leading into the 50-over tournament, when he recorded three hundreds, and two scores of 97, in eight innings against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.The 15 runs Williamson took off Adil Rashid’s eighth over included a six so precise that it plopped directly on to the boundary rope and consecutive fours straight-driven on a gossamer thread over the head of mid-off.Williamson almost seems to chuckle to himself when praise comes his way, deflecting such comments in the same manner that he dextrously manipulates the ball. Taylor is perhaps a little more blunt as a speaker but his approach with the bat, when he gets going, is entirely direct. Williamson looks so good it hurts; Taylor hits so hard it hurts.Three times he dumped the ball over long-on, twice threatening the spectators in the second tier of the OCS stand. There is probably nothing quite so satisfying as a club over cow corner, from village green to international arena.Taylor actually began a little tentatively, allowing Rashid a brief period of control, and he was dropped on 7, cutting Liam Plunkett hard past point where Jason Roy could not hold on. Roy thumped the ground in frustration and that sense would only grow as Williamson and Taylor added 121 in 17.4 overs, the partnership growing steadily more expansive. Both went on to their most significant scores since hundreds apiece – Taylor’s again unbeaten – took New Zealand to 369 for 5 against Pakistan in Napier in February, amid the stirrings of a World Cup charge.That score would have been plenty enough to break the mark for the biggest ODI total at The Oval but, having reached 235 for 2, New Zealand pushed further onwards and upwards through rat-a-tat bursts from Grant Elliott and Luke Ronchi. Taylor, like Williamson, had reached his fifty from 52 balls and he measured another 69 from the last 44 of his innings – though he could not quite see his side past 400 for only the second time, it was still the highest mark by a visiting team in England. It turned out to be just enough.

Chelsea have already begun their summer transfer business as they have agreed a deal with Sporting CP to sign Manchester United target Geovany Quenda.

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• Chelsea set to sign Quenda
• Man Utd were interested in winger
• 17-year-old acquired after 'secret blitz'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Quenda has impressed over the last season-and-a-half with Sporting CP, with the 17-year-old winger played a major role in the Portuguese side's recent success having emerged under former boss Ruben Amorim. The teenager has been on the transfer shortlists of multiple clubs, including Amorim's new side Manchester United. However, it is the Blues who have struck a deal to sign Quenda in the summer.

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• Getty
  

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  As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea conducted a 'secret blitz' at Sporting to sign Quenda before the summer window even opens, as they wanted to avoid any chances of competing clubs snatching the 17-year-old away from them. The Portuguese winger has already completed his medical and an announcement could be made soon.

• (C)Getty Images
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  As Portuguese outlet reported in February, United were very keen on signing Quenda in the summer and even sent scouts to watch the teenager. The Red Devils were said to have been tracking Quenda even before Amorim was named the club's head coach in November.

• WHAT NEXT FOR QUENDA?

  Should Quenda indeed move to Chelsea, he will face stiff competition for a place on his favoured right wing, with Estevao Willian also arriving this summer. Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer have all played in that position this season.

Fastest hundred in Lions history secures useful lead as Sri Lanka reply strongly

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2023Sri Lanka A 332 (Croospulle 128) and 202 for 3 (Madushka 84*, Mendis 67) lead England Lions 405 (Smith 126, Lees 97, Bohannon 54) by 129 runsJamie Smith struck a 71-ball century, the fastest in England Lions history, to give his side an outside chance of a victory push in the second unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Galle.Smith’s effort surpassed Luke Wright’s 91-ball hundred against New Zealand A in 2008-09, and featured 13 fours and eight sixes all told. By the time he was dismissed for 126 from 82 balls, he had formed the backbone of the Lions’ 405 in 76.4 overs.Alex Lees, who himself made a 94-ball hundred in the Lions’ warm-up match earlier in the tour, chipped in with 97 from 113 balls, while Josh Bohannon made 54 from 62.Their efforts allowed the Lions to build a first-innings lead of 73, and though Sri Lanka A responded well to reach 202 for 3 by the close, with half-centuries from Nishan Madushka and Kamindu Mendis, they did chip out three wickets in that time, including Mendis for 67 shortly before stumps.”It is certainly the most entertaining and most enjoyable innings that I have ever played,” Smith said afterwards. “I would say it is the best innings that I have ever played.”I didn’t know that it was a record century and I didn’t go out there to achieve that obviously. When you get in that situation and you’re flying along you are just focusing on being positive and trying to hit boundaries – hit the ball as far and as hard as I can.”The Lions team has been noticeably positive in its approach to batting on this tour, and Smith acknowledged that the success of the Test team under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum had been an inspirational factor.”You definitely take on board the style of play that the England team are employing because that’s the style they want to see,” he said. “I always knew I had the talent to play that way but to get out here and to do it is really positive for me.”The coaching staff here give you the freedom to go out and play that way. There are no limits as to what you can do. I’m not focusing on whether I get out, it’s about how you can make runs and being positive. That has certainly helped me to make runs here and play the way I did.”At the age of 22, Smith – who is also keeping wicket on this trip – is very much one of the coming men on the county circuit, and was picked for his first Lions tour after playing his part in Surrey’s County Championship victory last season.”It is the next step in my career and it has been an opportunity to show my skills and test myself against some really good bowlers,” he said. “It’s good to get in this environment and to play against spin and try and adapt my game to that.”The pitch is pretty flat but the beauty of us scoring so quickly is that it gives us an opportunity and time to bowl them out. We’ll aim to do that in the morning and then well hopefully have a chase. We won’t fear chasing any total.”

Aston Villa have not been known as big spenders in the Premier League. One of their most expensive players was a man signed this summer. Unai Emery’s side brought Amadou Onana to the club, paying his former team Everton £50m for his services. He has gone on to become a key player for the Spaniard.

However, he is not the most expensive incoming of all time at Villa Park. Instead, it was French winger Moussa Diaby who is the record addition for the Midlands outfit. They paid a reported £51.9m to Bayer Leverkusen, although sold him a year later to Saudi Arabia for a similar fee.

Although the Villans have made several expensive signings over the past few summers, namely Onana and Diaby, they have been known to complete some smart deals, acquiring the odd bargain or two in recent times.

Aston Villa’s best free transfers

The Midlands side have a good track record when it comes to free transfers, and have made some particularly impressive deals in the past few years.

The most recent example of this has been Youri Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder joined upon the expiration of his Leicester City contract. He has gone on to become a crucial player in the middle of the park alongside countryman Onana, making 61 appearances so far. He has started every game in the Premier League and Champions League this term.

Dating back slightly further, to the early Noughties, the Villans signed German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger on a free transfer. He had a superb career for the Villans, scoring 12 goals and grabbing 14 assists in 114 games.

They have also made some more experienced free signings. Ashley Young returned for a second spell to the club in 2021, staying two seasons and playing 57 games. The Villans also signed John Terry, who played for one season in the Championship in 2017/18, a campaign in which they lost in the Playoff Final.

However, as good as these additions were, there was another free signing in the last few seasons who may have been the best of the bunch. That player is Boubacar Kamara.

Kamara’s value in 2024

Although a bad injury has hampered his time at Villa, the French midfielder has been an important player under Emery. The 24-year-old has certainly made far fewer appearances at the club than he would have liked, but he has been a key cog in the Villa machine when fit.

In total, the five-cap France international has played 63 times for the Midlands side, chipping in with a goal and two assists in that time. He has played seven times this term, recovering from a particularly bad anterior cruciate ligament injury. Villa are being cautious, as expected, and the former Marseille man has played just 33 Premier League minutes so far.

Indeed, his injury record at Villa Park has, sadly, been quite poor so far. Kamara missed 35 games and 262 days, with his ACL injury. In total, he has had four injuries, missing 52 games for club and country, which adds up to 340 days.

That said, when fit and firing, the 6 foot sensation is a real midfield powerhouse. In many ways, the “composed” Villa ace, as football scout Jacek Kulig described him, is similar to Chelsea and Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo, at least statistically, as per FBref.

The pair are metronomic on the ball, with Kamara averaging an 87.6% pass accuracy and Caicedo an 89.1% pass accuracy, according to FBref. However, where they are most alike is defensively, with the Villa number 44 averaging 3.69 tackles and interceptions per 90, and the Chelsea midfield general averaging 4.77 per 90.

Given he cost them nothing after signing on a free transfer, the midfielder has been a revelation. Not only is he similar to someone worth £115m, the fee Chelsea paid for Caicedo, but he is worth £31.5m according to Transfermarkt.

It has certainly been a fantastic addition for Villa, and if he can stay fit, they could be looking at a player worth £100m or more, who can add superb quality to their midfield ranks both in and out of possession.

Offer pending: Aston Villa want to sign £80k-p/w McGinn upgrade

Aston Villa could replace their skipper in January

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 12, 2024

James Anderson stands on the brink of two fine achievements in his Test career, made all the more remarkable by the burden he has carried over the years

George Dobell in Antigua12-Apr-2015If there was one moment that defined the uneven battle that was the 2013-14 Ashes series, it was surely the sight of George Bailey thrashing James Anderson for a world record-equalling 28 in an over.That is James Anderson, England’s best seam bowler in a generation. James Anderson, whose bowling played such a huge role in England’s Ashes win of 2010-11 in Australia and 2013 in England. James Anderson who was praised by MS Dhoni as “the difference between the sides” when England won in India in 2012.But Anderson has carried a heavy burden for England. In that Perth Test, in temperatures that reached 47 degrees, Anderson was obliged to deliver the overs of his colleague, Stuart Broad, who was forced off the pitch with injury. He was obliged to take the field in the second innings without sufficient break due to his batsmen’s inability to bat for a day. He was asked to do too much.And there is nothing new in that. It was, after all, Anderson who had to bowl a 13-over spell to clinch the Trent Bridge Ashes Test of 2013 when all his colleagues were leaking runs and Brad Haddin was taking Australia to victory. It is Anderson who is called upon, when the pitch is slow and flat, to unlock the opposition. Anderson, who in Kolkata, or Adelaide or Nottingham or Galle, has found a way to extract life out of surfaces his colleagues have found dead.On Andrew Strauss’ captaincy: “(He was) very good at getting the best out of his players and knowing what to say at the right time to each individual.”•Getty ImagesFor Anderson is the sports car used to transport scaffolding. The stag used to pull a plough. He is the strike bowler, stock bowler, death bowler and nightwatchman. Hell, in the nets, he even bowls left-arm spin when required. It was Anderson whose batting helped save England from defeat in Cardiff in 2009 and Anderson whose batting came within an inch of saving them in Leeds in 2014 against Sri Lanka. His work is never done.So it is something of a miracle that Anderson goes into the first Test of the series against West Indies on Monday with two significant milestones within his grasp.Firstly, he will, barring injury, become the 13th England player – and only the second seamer – to win 100 Test caps and secondly, he requires four more wickets to surpass Sir Ian Botham’s England record of 383 Test victims. They are both fine achievements, made all the more remarkable for the burden his slim shoulders have been asked to carry.And it will only get worse. In the next nine months or so, England play 17 Tests. Anderson will be expected to lead the attack in the majority. It is inevitable that performances dip, bodies ache and ennui sets in. England’s schedule remains, in every sense, self-defeating.James Anderson has shown he can save games with the bat too, most notably in Cardiff in the 2009 Ashes•Getty ImagesBut Anderson’s enthusiasm remains undimmed. Even now, even as he reflects on what may be the culmination of a fine career, it is the pain of the bad times that drives him on. He has never forgotten the pain of being omitted from this side and will not, even after a grim World Cup, consider retiring from limited-overs cricket to prolong his Test career.”I’ve never forgotten sitting on the sidelines for 18 months or two years and not being able to be out there doing what I love,” Anderson said as he reflected on his career.”I had a few years where I was out of the side and didn’t know if I’d ever play again. But having experienced Test cricket and seen how amazing it is to play for England, that determination to play again has driven me on. Once I got my chance – I think it was in 2008 – I didn’t want to let it go again. The ultimate is playing for England and I want to do that for as long as possible.”You know you could get an injury at any time. You’ve got to make the most of being fit when you get out onto the field.”That period on the sidelines – he missed much of 2006 – came after Anderson was persuaded to change his bowling action to avoid a stress fracture. Instead, he bowled slower, lost his swing and suffered the very fracture they were looking to avoid.Anderson’s spell at Trent Bridge in 2013 clinched a nailbiter for England•Getty ImagesBut the experience was, in many ways, the making of him. He took responsibility for his rehabilitation. He went back to doing what he did best and decided to learn new tricks. He learned the inswinger, he learned to reverse the ball, he learned to hide the ball before delivery and he learned to bowl overseas. Since Peter Moores entrusted the new ball to him in New Zealand, in 2008, he has hardly looked back.”These are all things I’ve picked up along the way,” Anderson explained. “I didn’t start out being able to swing the ball both ways. I’ve just filled my head with as much knowledge as possible. I’ve talked to ex-players and current players and done a lot of bowling and got to know my action.”Asked what advice he would offer his 18-year-old self, Anderson replies “enjoy it” and “ignore the media” and lists his two best captains as Nasser Hussain and Andrew Strauss.”Nasser was different from anything I had experienced,” he says. “Some people got on with him, some people didn’t like the way he went about it but for me as a youngster – I was 20 – that firm hand was fantastic.”I was almost in fear of him. I felt that, if I didn’t bowl well, he was going to give me the back of his hand. That worked me for me at that age.”As for Strauss, Anderson praises him for being “very good at getting the best out of his players and knowing what to say at the right time to each individual.”He rates his best spells as that 13-over marathon at Trent Bridge, the first morning at Adelaide in 2010 – he dismissed Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson and Michael Clarke before lunch on a surface typically full of runs – and his performance in the Kolkata Test of 2012. Three wickets in each innings may appear modest, but they included Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni and the pitch offered him nothing. Indeed, some thought it was designed to thwart him.Anderson found a way to get on top of the conditions at Eden Gardens in 2012•BCCIThe low moments? The two Ashes whitewashes stand-out, he says. As does the Johannesburg Test of early 2005, when he was called into the side for just one game and bowled poorly. He also describes this winter as “awful” for England.While clearly uncomfortable talking about the impending landmarks – “I’m not thinking about it; we have a Test to win. We will prepare as we always do” – he remains a far less affable character on the pitch.Indeed, after months of testing the boundaries, he flirted with serious trouble last year after an alleged confrontation with Ravindra Jadeja resulted in the ICC charging him with a Level 3 breach of their code of conduct. While the charges were eventually dropped, the experience still weighs heavy.He claims his body is better than ever and that he has no intention to retire from limited-overs cricket to prolong his Test career. But he admits, after an “awful” World Cup, there is every chance that choice will be taken out of his hands.”I think my body is in good enough condition to cope with both formats,” he said. “If I didn’t, I’d seriously consider retiring from one. But I might not get the option to retire; I might not get selected in the next series.”My body has never been better. Once you get past 30, things get hard, so I work harder at my fitness than I ever have done and probably do less in the nets to try and keep fresh for games. I feel good. I feel like I could go on for a few more years.”All of which will be music to the ears of Alastair Cook who is quite certain to throw Anderson the new ball in the coming days. It has been a wonderful career. The sense remains, though, that had he been treasured a little more and flogged a little less, England might have coaxed even more from Anderson.They need him more than ever now. With Broad fading and the young guns not quite ready to take the mantle, the job falls – yet again – to Anderson to find something in these low, slow modern Caribbean surfaces.And that’s the problem. For England would, now as so often in the last few years, be lost without Anderson. One more over, one more spell. One more tour, one more series. Anderson’s work is never done.

Jude Bellingham jokingly called out teammate Endrick on social media after the Brazilian wonderkid made a training ground boast.

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• Bellingham and Endrick exchange messages
• Brazilian winger made training ground boast on social media
• Real Madrid face Atletico on Tuesday in UCL

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Endrick took to Instagram and shared an image of him racing with Real Madrid colleague Jude Bellingham during a training session. In the caption, the Brazilian wrote: "I won bro @judebellingham".

  In response, Bellingham reshared Endrick's story on his Instagram profile and wrote: "Be honest bob." Bellingham has previously admitted he's nicknamed his team-mate Bobby after he claimed to be a big fan of Sir Bobby Charlton.

  IG:@judebellingham

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  Bellingham and Endrick starred in Real Madrid's win over Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Copa del Rey fixture in the midweek as the English midfielder provided the assist for the Madrid wonderkid's only goal of the match in the 19th minute. The Brazil international enjoyed his best night to date in a Real Madrid shirt as he was handed only his fourth start for Los Blancos since joining them last summer.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  While Los Blancos are on course to reach the final of Copa del Rey with a slender lead over Real Sociedad, their miseries in La Liga continued as they lost to Real Betis 2-1 on Saturday. With Atletico Madrid and Barcelona winning their respective league matches, Carlo Ancelotti's side have now slipped to the third position on the league table.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  The reigning Spanish champions will next take on Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 fixture on March 4 at home.

Colin de Grandhomme and Thomas Kelly revived the chase but the home side broke a run of eight defeats

AAP23-Dec-2022Brisbane Heat ruined former favourite son Chris Lynn’s return to the Gabba, a Sam Billings half-century helping the home side to an upset six-run win over Adelaide Strikers.Undefeated Strikers sat atop the BBL table with three wins going into Friday night’s clash against the last-placed Heat, who had lost their opening two games of the season following on from a six-game losing streak to end their last campaign.But Billings fired the Heat to 166 for 9 after the home side won the bat flip, with the Strikers losing early wickets to be 38 for 4 before finishing their 20 overs just short.Related

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Colin de Grandhomme (37) and Thomas Kelly shared a 73-run partnership, Kelly making a career-high 43 off 33 balls, and some lusty late hitting from Harry Nielsen (24) saw the visitors needing 32 runs from the final three overs.But Michael Neser took a wicket and gave up just four runs in the 19th over to put the game out of Adelaide’s reach.Mark Steketee was the most successful of the Heat bowlers with figures of 4 for 34 from his four overs.Lynn, the face of the Heat franchise for 11 seasons, made 12 before he was given out lbw in contentious circumstances in the first meeting against his old side.The all-time BBL leading run-scorer strode to the crease in the first over after Neser trapped Jake Weatherald in front with the first ball of the innings.In an eventful over, Lynn advanced down the wicket to the first ball he faced, which was one of three wides Neser bowled that over, played and missed twice and edged one past a diving second slip for four.The visitors were in trouble at 14 for 2 when Matt Short went in the second over and worse was to come when Lynn was given out off the first ball of the fourth.Strikers were left to rue a wasteful DRS challenge by Weatherald that was unsuccessful, which meant Lynn was unable to review his decision, with replays showing the ball clearly going over the stumps.Earlier, Billings, who was dropped on 22 and 42, bludgeoned 27 runs, including three sixes, off the 19th over bowled by Peter Siddle. He eventually departed for 79 off 48 deliveries, his innings including six fours and four sixes.Max Bryant was the next-best batter for the Heat, with his 46 including eight fours. Short missed out with the bat, but claimed career-best figures of 3 for 14 from his three overs of offspin.Quick Henry Thornton, the BBL’s current leading wicket-taker, finished with 1 for 37 to take his season tally to 12.

Leicester City are among the Premier League clubs who are interested in signing an attacking “machine” in January, according to a new report. The Foxes have made a steady start to life back in the top flight, picking up 10 points from a possible 30, but Steve Cooper will know performances do need to improve if they are going to stay above that dotted line.

Leicester chiefs plotting long-term transfer plan to sign £15m speedster

The Foxes would have to wait until the summer to get the deal completed.

By
Brett Worthington

Nov 4, 2024

Leicester already lining up 2025 transfer plans

Leicester and Cooper will have their eye on players who they believe can improve them for when January arrives, but they also appear to have their eye on one player who can’t move until next summer.

It was reported earlier this week that the Foxes are keeping a close eye on Ipswich Town’s Jack Clarke. The winger only joined the Tractor Boys during the summer transfer window from Sunderland, but Leicester are already weighing up whether to make a move for him in 2025. It has been a testing time for Clarke at Portman Road, as he’s yet to replicate the form he showed at the Stadium of Light.

The 23-year-old hasn’t scored for Ipswich yet, and he has found himself in and out of the starting XI in the opening 10 league games. He cannot play for a third English club this term after already turning out for Ipswich and the Black Cats though, so any move would be a summer one.

Leicester interested in signing Bayern starlet Mathys Tel

According to Caught Offside, Leicester City are interested in signing Mathys Tel on loan in January. The 19-year-old has been at Bayern Munich since July 2022, when he joined from French side Stade Rennais, and his career has really taken off since moving to Germany, as he shines playing anywhere across the front three.

Tel, who has been labelled a “two-footed ball-striking machine” in the past, played 30 times for Munich in the Bundesliga last season, scoring seven goals and recording five assists, but this season he has fallen out of favour under manager Vincent Kompany.

The winger has played seven times in all competitions, only two of which have come as starts, and it appears as though he could be allowed to leave on loan when January arrives. The report states that the German giants still see Tel as a “key part” of their long-term future, but he could now benefit from a temporary move away, and would be an exciting addition to the Premier League.

Looking at players who compare on FBRef’s statistical tools, Liverpool’s Luis Diaz ranks second by statistical profile.

Bayern want Tel to get regular first team minutes under his belt, and Leicester, as well as Fulham, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest, are all keen on landing the young star, but a final decision will be made by the player himself.